Morocco Atlas Mountains and Merzouga: A 6 Day Itinerary
The standard loop leaves Marrakech, crosses the High Atlas at the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres, stops at the earthen kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, follows the Dades and Todra gorges east, and reaches the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga for a night in a desert camp. The return is the long day, eight to nine hours, usually broken at Ouarzazate or the Draa Valley. Add a walking day in the Toubkal valleys above Imlil at the start and the trip becomes a proper mountain and desert itinerary rather than a drive.
The route, day by day
- Day 1, Marrakech to Imlil, 90 minutes. Drive up into the Toubkal valleys and walk in the afternoon: the villages above Imlil, the Kasbah du Toubkal terrace, or the path toward Aroumd. Sleep in a guesthouse at 1,800 metres. This is the day most six day itineraries skip and the one that changes the trip.
- Day 2, Imlil to Ait Ben Haddou, 5 hours. Back down and east over the Tizi n'Tichka. Stop at the pass and at Telouet Kasbah on the old road if you have the time. Ait Ben Haddou in the late afternoon, when the coach groups have gone and the mud brick turns orange.
- Day 3, Ait Ben Haddou to Dades or Boumalne, 3 hours. Through Ouarzazate and the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, then up into the Dades Gorge with its switchback road. Walk in the gorge in the afternoon.
- Day 4, Dades to Merzouga, 5 hours, via the Todra Gorge, where 300 metre limestone walls close to about ten metres apart. Arrive at the edge of Erg Chebbi in the afternoon, ride a camel or take a 4x4 into the dunes, and sleep in a desert camp.
- Day 5, sunrise on the dunes, then either a second desert day or the drive west to Ouarzazate or the Draa Valley at Agdz, about five hours.
- Day 6, back to Marrakech, 4 to 5 hours from Ouarzazate over the pass.
Doing Merzouga and back in three days, which many tours sell, means ten hours in a vehicle on two of them. Six days is the shortest version that is a holiday rather than an endurance test.
Drive times to plan around
- Marrakech to Imlil: 1 hour 30 minutes, 65 km
- Marrakech to Ait Ben Haddou: 4 hours, 190 km over the Tizi n'Tichka
- Ait Ben Haddou to Dades Gorge: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Dades to Todra Gorge: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Todra to Merzouga: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Merzouga to Marrakech direct: 8 to 9 hours, which is why nobody should do it in one push
Roads are paved throughout this loop and mostly two lane, with lorries on the passes. Mountain sections are slow and there is roadworks somewhere on the Tichka most years.
Adding Toubkal
Jebel Toubkal at 4,167 metres is the highest peak in North Africa, and the standard route from Imlil is two days: five to six hours up to the refuge at around 3,200 metres, then a pre dawn start for the summit and back down. It is a walk rather than a climb in summer, and it needs crampons and an ice axe from roughly November to April.
A licensed Moroccan mountain guide is required for the Toubkal ascent, and hiring one is straightforward through the guides bureau in Imlil or through your accommodation. Adding Toubkal turns this into a nine day trip. If you have only six, walk the valleys instead: the villages, the Azzaden valley, or the path to the Tamsoult waterfall.
The desert night
Camps at Erg Chebbi range from basic canvas to Berber tents with proper beds and a bathroom. Two practical points. The camel ride in is about an hour and it is uncomfortable in a way nobody warns you about, so a 4x4 transfer is a reasonable choice for anyone with a bad back. And the dunes are cold at night from November to March, well below 10C, so bring a fleece even though you spent the day in a shirt.
Erg Chigaga, further southwest beyond Zagora, is larger and less visited, and reaching it needs a 4x4 and two hours off road. If your six days can start from Marrakech via the Draa Valley instead, it is the quieter choice.
When to go
- March to May: the best window. Almond and apple blossom in the valleys, snow still on the High Atlas, and the desert warm rather than dangerous.
- September to November: equally good, with warm days and cool nights.
- June to August: the desert reaches 45C and Marrakech is not much better. Mountain trekking still works well at altitude.
- December to February: cold and clear, snow closes the high passes occasionally, and desert nights are near freezing. Ait Ben Haddou in winter light is superb.
Check the dates of Ramadan for your year. Travel is entirely possible during it and many restaurants outside the tourist areas close during daylight, so plan lunches.
Practical notes
- Driver or self drive. Hiring a car and driver for the loop costs a fraction of what it does in Europe and removes the two hard parts, navigation and parking in medinas. Self driving is fine on these roads if you are confident with mountain switchbacks.
- Cash. Dirhams for everything outside the cities. There are cash machines in Ouarzazate, Tinghir and Rissani, and not much in between.
- Water. Bottled, and more of it than you think in the desert.
- Dress. Covered shoulders and knees are respectful anywhere outside a resort, and useful against the sun.
- Altitude. The Tichka pass and the Toubkal refuge are both high enough to be felt if you arrived from sea level yesterday.
Have us plan the trip
We build custom itineraries for trips like this, including the mountain days most tour operators leave out. Tell us your dates and how much walking you want and we will lay out the six days with drivers, guesthouses and the desert camp. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Morocco Atlas Mountains and Merzouga Desert: A 6 Day Itinerary FAQs
Yes, for the classic Marrakech loop through Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades and Todra gorges and the Merzouga dunes. Three day versions of the same route mean ten hours of driving on two days, which is why six is the sensible minimum.
Eight to nine hours direct, about 560 km. Nobody should do it in one push. Break it at Ait Ben Haddou and again in the Dades or Todra gorge, which is exactly what the six day loop does.
Yes. A licensed Moroccan mountain guide is required for the Toubkal ascent, and one can be hired through the guides bureau in Imlil or through your accommodation. The standard route takes two days and needs crampons and an ice axe from roughly November to April.
March to May and September to November. Summer pushes the desert past 45C, and winter nights on the dunes drop near freezing while snow occasionally closes the high passes.
Erg Chebbi at Merzouga is easier to reach on paved roads and has more camps. Erg Chigaga is larger and quieter and needs a 4x4 and about two hours off road from M'Hamid, which makes it the better choice if you have the extra day.
You can, and the roads on this loop are paved and manageable. Hiring a car with a driver costs far less than in Europe and removes navigation and medina parking, which is why most people doing the six day loop choose it.
